Death Machine (1994)

Chaank Armaments is experimenting with the ultimate fighting machine which is part human - part machine. So far, the Hardman project has been unreliable and has killed a number of innocent ... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Norrington

Writer:

Stephen Norrington

Stars:

Brad Dourif, Ely Pouget, William Hootkins

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brad Dourif	...	Jack Dante
Ely Pouget	...	Hayden Cale
William Hootkins	...	John Carpenter
John Sharian	...	Sam Raimi
Martin McDougall	...	Yutani
Andreas Wisniewski	...	Weyland
Richard Brake	...	Scott Ridley
Alex Brooks	...	Sheriff Dickson
Stuart St. Paul	...	Glitching Hardman
Jackie Sawiris	...	Waitress
Annemarie Lawless	...	Screaming Demonstrator (as Anne Marie Zola)
Julie Cox	...	Screaming Demonstrator
Kathleen Tessaro	...	Reporter
Ronald Fernee	...	Reporter
Lesley Lyon	...	Reporter

Storyline

Chaank Armaments is experimenting with the ultimate fighting machine which is part human - part machine. So far, the Hardman project has been unreliable and has killed a number of innocent people. The genius behind this project is Jack who lives in a world of models, toys and magazines. When he is fired by Cale for killing a few corporate officers, he unleashes the ultimate killing machine called the 'Warbeast' against Cale and those who would help her.

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Plot Keywords:

survival | die hard scenario | computer hacker | science runs amok | mercenary | 

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Taglines:

The Future Has Teeth

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Genres:

Action | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sci-fi terror and violence, language and brief sexuality

Details

Country:

UK Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 May 1995 (UK)

Also Known As:

Cyber connections

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£139,068 (United Kingdom), 26 May 1995, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$267,986, 10 November 1995, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,703,493, 31 December 1995

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,129,045, 31 December 1995

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment Film Distributors, Fugitive Features, Victor Company of Japan (JVC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 111 min (Director's Cut) 128 min (Final Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The character "Sam Raimi" is named after director Sam Raimi. In one scene, Raimi fires a missile at the Warbeast. The succeeding shot where the camera follows the homing missile in fast-forward is a likely homage to Raimi's The Evil Dead (1981) where a similar filming technique portrays an unspecified evil charging through the woods.

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Goofs

When the Warbeast attacks Raimi and Weyland in Vault 10, they defend themselves by firing their rifles at it. Why would they do that, when then know well that they have only blanks in their guns?

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Quotes

[first lines]
John Carpenter: There he is, the ultimate soldier. No mercy, no pity, no fear.

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Crazy Credits

A short 'Death March' is played at the end, followed by a short electronic blip.

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Alternate Versions

Director's Cut available in original 2.35:1 cinemascope ratio on Japanese Laserdisc but director hates his own version!. US cut substantially different, excising whole subplot. UK cut is the best, director approved.

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Connections

References Alien (1979)

User Reviews

Talent is all that matters!

Watching this little movie after a decade or more , gave me the creeps again , still fresh , original , where the talent and actors' dedication , attention to detail , and the story count , and another proof that young directors must learn their ropes from the scratch ,and not from a 100 - million budget hand-outs , that turn their product into mush and the material to eternally laugh about! The movie is based on the shenanigans of a large weapons manufacturer corporation called Chaank, which has been accused of using children to produce super warriors and their new executive appointee , brilliantly portrayed by a little known E.Pouget with a tiny personal secret, who is determined to find out what exactly ' s been happening in the bowels of the beast , under the leadership of a brilliant young prodigy appropriately named J.Dante , played by B.Douriff ,and you have got to see this character , a sort of post-punk hippie with dreadlocks and an insatiable appetite for porn in all forms, who has secretly devised an ugly gadget ,and then the whole business gets very nasty , when every access and door is hermetically sealed,and the Dante guy sets a few conditions ,the most important being ' to interface ' with his unrequited blond obsession, or else the beast will get you ! If this movie reminds you of some other classics , namely –Hardware , Alien , Carpenter's movies ,you are on the right track , as all the actors even bear the familiar names ,e.g. Scott Ridley , Yutani , Carpenter etc. Briefly , still fresh , amusing , and above all, hardcore , and utterly bleak !